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Thinking of a holiday in Scotland which would consist of hiring a cottage for a week and doing a mixture of days out which would include rides of 20-40 miles max on road/gravel (we have touring bikes that are ok for a bit of gravel but not proper off-road).
I have an urge to go to Skye or maybe Arran, but am open to ideas. Great scenery is a must, as is coastlines (not all inland)
Any ideas on:
1) Where to go/stay - would like to be on one of the islands really
2) Routes - would like to go somewhere that has some nice circular rides.
Any other tips gratefully received. And pics to whet the appetite!
Thanks!
Skye might not be the best choice, the main road from the bridge to Portree then Uig is hard to avoid and it's not pleasant. The Trotternish peninsula is quiet though as is the west of the island.
Arran would give you two main road loops - North and South of the island, don't know if there's much forestry/gravel type stuff to do.
Galloway Forest worth a look? - fair few forest roads to create loops with quieter roads and Solway Firth.
I'd go for a smaller, quieter island.
Tiree is great. Plenty of quiet minor roads, and a few rough tracks and paths. All very flat, so pretty easy cycling (though it can be windy). Though maybe not quite big enough for cycling everyday. Also great beaches, and windsurfing etc if you want.
Or maybe Islay and Jura?
must it be the islands? TBH they tend to have quite contained (busy) roads not ideal for touring.
Having said that, likes of Mull gives you scope for onto mainland via ferries and stuff.
Aviemore, Pitlochry, even (possibly) Braemar.
Speyside?
I'd vote for Pitlochry / Dunkeld area. IME cycling on islands from a fixed location gets boring pretty quickly due to the limited options.
Isle of Mull is huge and offers great potential for some good rides - spent a week in Tobermory and lots of good tracks and trails around the north of the island and towards Dervaig. You could also jump on the ferry from Tobermory across to Lochaline and ride out to Ardnamurchan Point - the most westerly point on the UK mainland. The coast road from Dervaig south is also glorious but pretty steep and narrow in places. I'd also recommend a visit to Ulva Ferry and probably the best seafood lunch lunch you'll experience anywhere.
I would pitch up at Inverness as a base,unless you are dead set on an island.
I'd get bored of the road/fire roads of arran after a few days. Better to take a MTB, as you can then use the roads to get to various decent trails around the island.
Another vote for Mull- meets your requirements very well, I think. There are several good circuits on the island, plus you can take your bike on the boat to:
Iona
Oban & down to Seil Island
Tobermory to Cilchoan for Ardnamurchan point/lighthouse & the crater.
Lochaline for a trundle in Morven
Caledonian Macbrayne don't charge to carry bikes on their ferries, so you pay as a foot passenger, which makes hopping about on the short crossings cheap and practical each day.
Other highlights:
Calgary bay
Mull cheese by Tobermory
Sea eagles
Fingal's cave or whale/shark watching boat trips.
Ben More; at the top is one of the best views in the Hebrides.
Sorry, should have said Tobermory to Kilchoan Ferry, not Lochaline
Have a look at Torridon. I think it's the only place I've ever enjoyed proper road cycling.
On an island (with the possible exception of the lovely Mull) or somewhere like Torridon you'll quickly exhaust the possibilities unless you are content covering the same ground each day. D&G has loads of quiet roads and forest tracks to explore. However, and it pains me to repeat this, Aviemore has loads of options for both road and light off-road/gravel and you'd barely be repeating anything each day. Of course, you are inland but the Moray Coast is a wee drive away.
Edit- good point about the various Mull ferries. Ardnamurchan, Morvern etc are stunning and you can cycle right through an old volcano!
Mull is rubbish, busy roads and rotten scenery, weather's crap too 🙂
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Mull for me too. Nothing more to add than what's said above but we stayed here
http://www.glengormcastle.co.uk/?post_selfcatering=lephin-cottage
Only a short jaunt to Tobermory and plenty of exploring around the estate. Handy for Calgary beach as well.
Arran is truly fantastic, with some gravel bits as options but maybe a bit small for a full week of cycling, could possibly extend by using Lochranza ferry (Crinan canal is a truly lovely bimble) and Gigha was a tranquility of flowered verges and birdsong.
we loved Islay (and the people), (Jura is scenic, but totally linear and long), Colonsay was a jewel of varied beauty and imo a must do day out and loop.
we also liked Mull but for us both Islay and Arran were better.
I'd get bored of the road/fire roads of arran after a few days. Better to take a MTB, as you can then use the roads to get to various decent trails around the island.
With a bit of clever ferry planning (the ferrys don't work out for you every day)you can do loops that take you over to Kintyre, down to Campbelltown and back to Arran with Sea views all the way